


You’ve got to do some dancing to get in the mood

by rachlovesligers



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, First Date, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 05:12:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3557306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachlovesligers/pseuds/rachlovesligers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy & Steve finally find time for their first date between their missions in Europe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You’ve got to do some dancing to get in the mood

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to my first ever fic "A kiss won’t mean goodbye", and is set during The First Avenger.

It had taken Peggy almost getting killed for Steve to summon the courage to finally ask her out on a real date. While on a mission in eastern France Peggy had narrowly avoided a bullet to the chest, it had been heading straight for her but she had ducked just in time and managed to escape with only a deep gash in her shoulder. Seeing Peggy hurt seemed to have shaken some sense into Steve, and she was propped up in a small bed in the medical tent when he finally asked her.

“It’s about bloody time,” she scolded him. Steve’s expression softened but there were still traces of worry on his face. “If you’d taken much longer I’d have had to ask you myself.”

It had been over a year since their trip to Huntingdon, a year of secret glances, of subtle hints and hidden meanings in their conversations about military tactics. Beginning their missions across European had made it somewhat easier to find some time alone together, but their friendship had remained quite platonic, much to Peggy’s dismay.

“I’m not sure what we’ll be able to find in way of a dance hall around here though,” Steve said.

“I have an idea,” Peggy murmured, her eyes drifting closed as a mixture of painkillers and exhaustion began to take its toll. She felt Steve’s hand wrap around hers gently.

“Alright,” she heard him say, “We’ll go once you’ve healed.”

..............

A few weeks later, once Peggy had recovered enough and there was a lull between missions allowing them some free time, they found an evening for their date. Peggy was surprised by the nerves she felt in the hours leading up to their evening together, after all, it wasn’t as though they hadn’t already spent time alone together, so she busied herself with getting ready. It hadn’t seemed necessary to bring an evening dress into a war zone, which left her with a scarce amount of options when it came to dressing for their date. But she did the best with what she had, and ended up in her best blouse and uniform skirt. Fortunately, she was never without her signature shade of red lipstick.

Steve arrived at her tent to pick her up, at 7 o’clock on the dot no less, looking handsome in his uniform, his hair combed neatly. She felt slightly self-conscious as Steve’s eyes glanced over her, attempting to be subtle about taking in her whole outfit but failing spectacularly.

“This isn’t what I imagined I’d be wearing on our first date, but I suppose war doesn’t care for ones plans.”

“You look absolutely beautiful,” Steve said earnestly.

Peggy couldn’t hold back her smile, “Thank you Steve, you’re rather handsome yourself, all smartened up.”

Steve seemed at a loss for how to react, he tugged at his collar, avoiding her eye as a pinkness rose in his cheeks. It was all rather adorable. Then he cleared his throat and offered her his arm, his cheeks still a little flushed.

“Shall we?”

They walked together to the abandoned pub she had described to him. Peggy had stumbled across it a few weeks earlier when they’d initially scouted the area for enemy traps. Not too damaged by the fighting, there still remained some unopened bottles of wine hidden under the bar, something she had failed to mention to the Commandos for fear they would drink the place dry.

Once they arrived it became clear that Steve had found it earlier in order to transform the place into a somewhat more pleasant venue for a first date. In the middle of the room sat a small table with a chair either side. Food was already sitting atop the table in plates presumably found in the pub, and Steve’s artistic talents showed through in the way he had fashioned their K-rations into something loosely resembling fine cuisine. It was set off with a small but brightly burning candle in the centre.

“The candle was Bucky’s idea,” Steve explained.

“It’s a nice touch,” Peggy smiled. She spotted the bottle of wine placed in the middle of the table between two empty glasses, and tilted it to get a better look, glancing back at Steve curiously.

“I found it under the bar, I, uh, I thought it might add a nice bit of class? Not that it’ll have much effect on me.”

“I’m sure it’ll go wonderfully with the stale crackers and tinned pork,” she laughed as she spotted the wireless on the other side of the room.

“I thought maybe after dinner you could teach me how to dance” Steve said, following her gaze. “It can just about pick up the BBC Forces Programme.”

“That sounds lovely.”

Steve made his way over to the table and pulled out a seat for Peggy to sit down.

..............

It was miraculous what a difference thoughtful presentation, decent wine, and good company could make to the taste of their meagre rations. Peggy could almost forget it was the same bland meal she ate every day, what with the soft candlelight and Steve looking at her the way he was, making her laugh with his stories of fights Bucky had had to pull him out of and pranks he hadn’t quite managed to pull off. She shared some of her own childhood stories, and it made her heart pound to see the way Steve looked at her with such awe and intensity when she told them, as if punching Jimmy Miller in the school playing field was the most vital piece of intelligence. It brought back memories of the lunch they had shared together on their trip to Huntingdon. Apparently Steve’s mind had ended up in the same place.

“I know it doesn’t really compare to shepherd’s pie,” he said.

“Nonsense,” Peggy smiled, “It almost tastes like real lamb.”

“Hm, it is much more enjoyable when you don’t have Dugan open-mouthed chewing right next to your ear.”

“You don’t love the way he talks with a mouth full of spam?”

“Surprisingly, no.” Steve laughed.

“It is nice to get away from the Commandos for a while, I’m glad we decided to come here.”

“Glad I finally plucked up the nerve to ask you?” Steve said.

“Yes, and only a year after I suggested it! At the rate you’re going we’ll be married in 20.” Peggy had meant only to tease him, but Steve’s expression froze. “Oh, sorry I…, was that a little too –”

“No” Steve interrupted, “I like the sound of that. The marriage part, not the 20 years part,” he said, looking down.

Peggy felt elated. “Well, you’d better get your act together then.”

As they turned back to their food she noticed Steve’s hand resting on the table, and without letting herself hesitate Peggy reached out and covered it with hers. She kept her eyes down, unsure of how he would react to the sudden physical contact, but he didn’t pull away. Neither of them addressed it, they simply carried on their conversation, their hands fitting together naturally. It was soothing and it was nice to have this small comfort in the midst of what they faced every day.

..............

Once they’d cleared their plates the conversation paused and they sat together quietly. It was a comfortable silence, Steve’s thumb was absentmindedly rubbing circles on the back of Peggy’s hand. After a short while Steve spoke.

“How about that dance?” he looked excited.

“Come on then soldier, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Still holding hands they rose together and moved into the empty space by the wireless, and with a bit of fiddling Steve was able to find a station playing Anne Shelton. He turned back to her, appearing unsure suddenly, but Peggy had no trouble taking charge.

“Take my hand,” she instructed, holding her right hand out for him to hold, “Your other hand goes on my waist.”

Steve hesitated.

“That’s here,” she said with a teasing grin, taking his hand and placing it gently on her waist. She could feel the warmth of his hand, even through her clothes, and as the music played she began to lead him slowly around the room.

Steve was an eager pupil, constantly asking questions about what kind of dance they were doing, did it include lifts or twirls, was the man always supposed to lead, and can you teach me the Lindy Hop because Bucky described it to me once and it sounds swell. Peggy was more than happy to show him.

“You’re rather good at this,” she was surprised.

“Just call me Fred Astaire” he laughed, and Peggy playfully whacked him on the chest.

Steve was a fast learner and he picked up the steps quickly, but not without stepping on her toes a couple of times first, which he apologised profusely for. They continued slowly making their way around the room, picking up the pace as Steve became more comfortable. Without meaning to they gradually moved closer together as they danced, their bodies pressing against each other just slightly. Then without warning, he dipped her.

“Someone’s getting very confident,” Peggy laughed.

“Hey, I just went a full three songs without stepping on your toes!”

“Then I should sign you up for the Ballroom Dance Championship right away!” she teased.

Once Steve had pulled them both upright again she suddenly became highly aware of just how close their faces were. He didn’t make a move to put more distance between them, as Peggy would have expected, instead he seemed to be deciding something. They stayed like that, faces almost touching, for a moment before Peggy became impatient.

“Are you going to kiss me, or not?”

With that encouragement Steve closed the gap between them and his lips were on hers. At first all she could think about was just how soft they were, but she quickly realised he hadn’t thought past pressing his mouth to hers, his inexperience catching up with him. They stood there unmoving, joined at the lips, so Peggy took matters into her own hands and began to move. Their first kiss was slow, soft, and gentle, it made chest squeeze and her stomach flutter. Her arms wrapped around Steve’s neck while his hands moved slowly over her, until one arm wrapped around her waist, his other hand spanned between her shoulder blades.

After a short while they broke apart, breathing heavily. She could feel his breath on her face and the warmth of his arms around her, their bodies still pressed together tightly.

“Can we do that again?” Steve asked, and Peggy pressed her lips back to his in answer.

Steve was a little more confident the second time, and made a move to deepen the kiss. Peggy felt more forward than she usually would on a first date, most likely due to the wine, and moved her hands slowly across his shoulders, then down his sides to the slim of his waist, enjoying the feel of his tense muscles through his shirt. She continued slowly running her hands over the front of his body until she was back at his neck, feeling the warm skin there and the soft little hairs at the back of his head. She could’ve sworn she felt Steve shiver ever so slightly. In what little space there was between them Peggy loosened his tie and began to undo the top button of his shirt, pushing the collar aside to feel the top of his collar bone. She felt Steve groan softly into their kiss and it sent a thrill through her entire body.

Following her lead, Steve moved his hand up her back ever so slowly until he reached her neck, pushing his fingers just slightly under the collar of her shirt to gently feel the skin there. His thumb skimmed her jawline before settling into a rhythm of stroking her cheek as they continued to kiss. In response Peggy moved her hands back up his neck until they were on either side of his head, she began sifting her fingers through his soft hair without breaking the kiss. Steve mimicked her exactly as his hands moved upward, running his fingers more vigorously through her hair.

“Are you intending to mirror everything I do from now on, or is it limited to while we’re kissing?” Peggy asked teasingly.

“Sorry, I’m just, I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to…” Steve stammered, “I’m trying to figure out what you like.”

A grin spread across Peggy’s face and she leaned in to kiss him again. As they continued to kiss Steve extracted one hand from her hair and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and with that movement her feet just began to lift off the ground. Their bodies were pressed together so pleasantly close but somehow it wasn’t enough, so she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, not wanting any space left between them.

“You’re better at this than you realise,” Peggy said when they broke apart briefly.

“It’s because I found the right partner.”

“I’m not talking about dancing anymore, Steve.”

“I know,” he smiled, and went back to kissing her.

Peggy struggled to bring to mind anything other than Steve, the way his soft lips moved with hers, his tongue hesitant at first and then eager, the warmth radiating from his body, his arm wrapped firmly around her, supporting her. When she began to lose any sense of how long they’d stayed like that she decided it was probably best to stop before she lost her senses completely. Peggy had to force herself to pull away and Steve whined in response. She rested her forehead against his, while he played with her hair gently.

“We mustn’t get carried away,” she murmured.

“Why not?” Steve’s mischievous grin was extremely tempting, and with his swollen lips that were smeared with her lipstick she had to steel her willpower to stop herself from leaning in to kiss him again. She pulled away a little further and put her fingers over his lips.

“Because we’re in a derelict pub in the middle of occupied France, this is hardly the place to –” she paused.

A blush rose in Steve’s cheeks and she was sure her own cheeks were reddening too. Reluctantly he loosened his grip on her and Peggy took a step back. He still had a dreamy look in his eyes and his hair was a little messy, but she imagined she must look just as dishevelled.

“Right, well, I suppose we’d better…” Peggy was flustered and worked at taming down her hair in order to distract herself from the way Steve’s eyes kept darting to her lips as he straightened his tie and attempted to flatten his hair.

Once they were both looking presentable Steve turned to her. “Thank you for teaching me how to dance,” he said sincerely.

“It was my pleasure,” Peggy said, and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching forward to swipe her thumb over his lips, removing the last traces of her lipstick.

..............

“So how did I do?” They were almost back at camp having walked a longer route back, as slowly as possible.

“How did you do?” Peggy questioned.

“This is the first date I’ve been on where my date stayed right ‘til the end.”

“Ah”, said Peggy, understanding. “Well, I suppose it wasn’t awful, the food was quite nicely presented, but the company was a little lacklustre.”

Steve looked confused.

“I’m joking, Steve!”

“Oh!” the relief showed on his face.

“I had a wonderful time, I imagine there’ll be a second date, possibly even a third if you play your cards right.”

His face lit up, “Really?”

“Yes really, you needn’t look so shocked.”

Then Steve kissed her again, less carefully this time, his hand cupping her cheek. When they broke apart his eyes were shining.

“When we’re back in New York I know the perfect place I want to take you, it’s this nightclub Bucky always talked about, and there’s a restaurant in Brooklyn, we could go there before, they serve the best honey spice cake.”

She’d never seen Steve so excited and so animated before, it was wonderfully endearing to watch and she couldn’t help but get excited with him.

..............

As they reached her tent, Peggy turned to her date. “Goodnight Steve, thanks again for a lovely evening.”

“It was my pleasure.” Steve smiled warmly, repeating her words from earlier. They stood in silence for a moment, not wanting to part, neither wanting their date to end.

“Can I kiss you one more time?” Steve asked, looking hopeful.

“Yes of course. You don’t always have to ask.”

He leaned forward and kissed her softly, it was slow and gentle, both of them savouring the moment as much as possible. She had just begun to forget where she was when Peggy heard a distant wolf-whistle coming from the camp, followed by a few cheers.

She turned her head slightly, Steve’s lips moving gently across her cheek, either not fazed or not aware of their audience.

“Oh sod off!” she yelled, and turned back to Steve to finish kissing him.

**Author's Note:**

> I started thinking about this idea after GatorJen suggested it in a comment, so thanks!
> 
> The title is a line from "In The Mood" by The Andrews Sisters.
> 
> Please let me know what you think.  
> My tumblr is http://rachlovesligers.tumblr.com/ for anyone who's interested.


End file.
